G-khan
11-11-2004, 02:26 PM
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.silver-colloids.com/logo.jpg</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE id=navTable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=780 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slchome.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/index.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slcabout.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/about.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slccontact.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/contact.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slcpublications.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/pubs.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slcproduct.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slctutorials.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Tutorials/tutorials.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slcfaqs.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/FAQ.html)http://www.silver-colloids.com/img/slclinks.gif (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Links/links.html)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="content" --><TABLE cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 width=780 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=style1 vAlign=top width="74%" colSpan=2>Product Reports
Skip to the Lab Analysis Summary (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#CompTable)
There are three distinctly different types of silver that are labeled and sold on the market as “colloidal silver”; they are ionic silver, silver protein, and true colloidal silver. Consumers seeking true colloidal silver are often at a disadvantage because each of these products represents themselves as colloidal silver. Commercial Product Reports provide detailed laboratory analysis of colloidal products. Tests are performed by the Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc.(CSL) (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/) using a uniform set of analytical measurements. The information contained in these reports is provided as a service to educate consumers, and is not intended to promote any particular product. CSL does not receive funding for its work from manufacturers, and anyone can submit a product for testing.
Scientific product testing performed by CSL is an unbiased examination of the physical properties of colloids using the best scientific methods and equipment available. The equipment used to perform the analyses is calibrated to standards traceable to the National Institute of Standards & Technology, and the personnel performing the measurements are skilled in the use of the equipment.
The instruments used to perform the tests are described in detail and the test methods are fully revealed so that the entire suite of product tests can be duplicated by others. See Determining Properties (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/labMeasurements.htm) for technical details about how the laboratory analysis is performed. Detailed lab analysis for the products shown in the table is available by clicking on the product name in the table.
Before exploring the reports, charts, graphs, and details of the tests, it is important to have a basic understanding of the three types of products that are marketed as Colloidal Silver.
Types of Colloidal Silver
The three types of products that consumers find labeled as “colloidal silver” can be categorized as follows: ionic silver solutions (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#ionic) , silver protein (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#protein), and true colloidal silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#true).
Ionic Silver Solutions
The vast majority of products labeled and sold as colloidal silver fall into this category. The silver content in these products consists of both silver ions (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#silver.ion) and silver particles (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#silver.particles), neither of which are silver colloids. Typically 90% of the silver content is in the form of ionic silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#ionic.silver), due to the low degree of manufacturing complexity and resulting low cost of production. The silver ions are produced by electrolysis and may be described as “dissolved silver”. Products are produced by electrolysis and are frequently described as "electro colloids". The remaining 10% of the solution is silver particles. Because the majority of the silver content in these products is dissolved silver rather than metallic silver particles, it would be more technically accurate to describe these products as silver solutions.
Confusingly, ads for these products frequently claim that silver ions are small silver particles or describe the product as consisting of ionic silver particles. Silver ions are not the same as silver particles and the two terms are not interchangeable. For more details read About Ionic Silver (http://silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutIonic.html).
How To Tell If A Product Is Mostly Ionic Silver
Silver solutions are typically clear like water or have a slight yellow tint. These products are clear because silver that is dissolved in water looks just like sugar or salt that is dissolved in water; it has no visible appearance. The producers of ionic silver solutions will suggest that colloidal silver should look like clear water, but this is incorrect.
Companies that sell ionic silver claim that their product is "true colloidal silver" in an attempt to confuse the buyer. Do not be fooled. If the product is clear, then it is ionic silver, not a true silver colloid. Colloidal particles absorb visible light causing them to have an "apparent color" which is the complement of the absorbed wavelength. Silver ions do not absorb visible light and therefore appear as clear liquids.
Many producers of ionic silver recommend that the product be stored only in glass containers. Some specify only amber or cobalt glass bottles because their products are photosensitive and deteriorate when exposed to light. True colloids do not have these issues.
How To Test for Ionic Silver
To figure out whether a solution is ionic silver, you only need add chloride ions. Common table salt, which is sodium chloride, will do. If silver ions are present, the chloride ions will combine with the silver ions and create a white, cloudy appearance. Simply place 1-2 ounces of ionic silver in a clear glass. Add a few grains of table salt. Observe whether, as the salt dissolves, a white cloud of silver chloride forms in the solution. If so, eventually, the entire solution will turn cloudy. If more salt is added, the white silver chloride will become denser until all the silver ions have combined with the available chlorine ions. If no silver ions are present then no white cloud will form. Here’s the rub: Some products will not make a white cloud of silver chloride when table salt is added because they contain no silver at all. Believe it or not, lab analysis has shown that some "silver" products actually contain no silver!
<TABLE height=55 width=661 align=center border=1><TBODY><TR><TD width=651>The difference between silver ions and silver particles boils down to the fact that silver ions combine with chloride ions to form silver chloride and silver particles do not.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Safe usage
“Colloidal silver” generators sold to home hobbyists all produce ionic silver solutions. Because ionic silver products contain a low percentage of their silver content, they all have a fairly low particle surface area (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area) relative to the total silver content. Thus, ionic silver products, when taken according to the manufacturers recommended dosage, will not cause argyria (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#argyria), a condition that causes the skin to turn blue-gray."
Techno-Babble, Misleading Language and Bogus Science
The term colloidal means particles not ions, but producers of ionic silver products will try to convince the buyer that their product is a silver colloid. The common thread in most advertisements selling ionic silver products (labeled as colloidal silver) is to claim that ions are silver particles, or they try to blur the distinction by using the terms interchangeably. Another common trick is to display images made from a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) that they claim shows the small particles found in their products. These images do not show the silver particles in their products. Read About TEM Images of Ionic Silver Solutions (http://silver-colloids.com/Pubs/TEM.html) to learn why these images are deceptive and misleading. Another ploy is the use of techno-babble, wherein make-believe technical sounding terms are used to impress the non-technical reader. Techno-babble attempts to draw the reader’s attention away from the real science and focus on nonsensical but important sounding terms and ideas. In a related approach, advertising or labels will include scientific-sounding explanations that use terms from other fields of science that are not applicable to the chemistry of solutions and colloids. For example, in the field of nuclear science, a particle is considered to be any atomic object whose weight is greater or equal to the weight of an electron. Attempting to define a silver ion as a particle by using this definition is the essence of what is commonly referred to as bogus science. For examples of techno-babble and bogus science, click here (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/bogus-silver.html).
List of Ionic Silver Products
Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/ionic-products.html) for a partial list of ionic silver products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/ionic-products.html) by brand name.
Related Information
The Truth About Ionic Silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutIonic.html)
The Truth About TEM Images of Ionic Silver Solutions (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/TEM.html)
Silver Protein (a/k/a Mild Silver Protein)
Silver protein products are the second most prevalent type of so-called colloidal silver products on the market. These products consist of a combination of metallic silver particles and a protein binder, and can easily be produced by simply adding water to silver protein powder sold by various chemical companies.
Most products claiming to be high concentrations of colloidal silver (typically in the range of 30 to 20,000 ppm) are in fact silver protein colloids. While some of these products are labeled as Silver Protein or Mild Silver Protein , many such products are simply labeled as colloidal silver and the word protein does not appear anywhere on the label or in the product advertising literature.
Silver protein products generally have very large silver particles, so large that they would not remain suspended as colloidal particles without protein additives. Protein additives help to keep the large particles from settling. While various protein binders may be used, the protein most commonly used is gelatin , which is made by boiling the skin, tendons, and ligaments of animals. For large metallic silver particles to remain suspended in water, they need additional buoyancy to keep from sinking. Gelatin molecules will encapsulate each particle of silver and add enough buoyancy so that it does not sink to the bottom. The presence of gelatin creates a risk of bacteria and is one of the dangers of taking this product.
Of the three types of colloidal silver, silver protein products have the lowest particle surface area for a given silver concentration , making the silver inaccessible for safe human absorption and less effective for human use. Particle surface area (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area), as we will cover later, is the single most important determinant of colloidal silver effectiveness. Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/SEM-Images.html) for scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of silver protein products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/SEM-Images.html) that clearly show the very large size of the silver particles (which appear to range in size from about 100 nm up to 10,000 nm with some much larger).
Testing For Silver Protein
To find out whether you have a silver protein product rather than a true silver colloid, look for these characteristics:
Makes foam: When shaken, a silver protein product produces foam above the liquid that will persist for minutes after being shaken. This is probably the single most reliable indicator. Even when the product label identifies the product simply as colloidal silver and never mentions the word protein, this indicator will signal the presence of a protein binder. Shake the bottle and look for foaming. When the foam persists, protein is present.
Concentration: Silver protein products tend to have very high concentration values, typically in the range of 30 to 20,000 ppm. Concentration is expressed in parts per million (ppm) and is numerically the same as milligrams of silver per liter of water (mg/L).
Color: The color ranges from light amber to almost black with an increasing concentration of silver.
Dangers
Due to the high concentration of large silver particles, silver protein products are known to cause argyria (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#argyria), a condition that causes the skin to turn blue-gray. These and other dangers associated with silver protein are described in About Silver Protein Products. (http://silver-colloids.com/Pubs/protein.html)
Adding protein to colloidal silver is also potentially unsafe because of bacteria, according to Professor Ronald Gibbs who discussed this fact in his booklet " Silver Colloids (http://silver-colloids.com/index.html)". He found "mild silver protein" products that had live bacteria growing on the protein. This can happen when protein is mixed with colloidal silver because the protein molecules are large and encapsulate the silver particles, which prevent the silver from reaching the bacteria to kill it. Normally, it would be impossible for bacteria to live in colloidal silver, but it is common in products containing protein. For this reason, Professor Gibbs recommended that silver protein products should be avoided. Here is the quote from Professor Gibbs book concerning use of protein to stabilize colloidal silver: "A fifth sample considered showed fuzzy clusters around silver particles when viewed in water . . . . As suspected, this fuzzy material fluoresced indicating the material was, indeed, live bacteria growing on the gelatin that had apparently been used to stabilize the colloidal silver suspension. In Figure 3A the black dots inside the fuzzy mass are the silver particles. This sample exhibits the poor quality control that is totally unacceptable in this type of product. This sample was removed from further consideration and analysis .” Professor Gibbs’ book "Silver Colloids, Do They Work?" can be downloaded here (http://silver-colloids.com/Book/SilverColloids-s.pdf).
List of Silver Protein-Based Products
Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/protein-products.html) for a partial list of silver protein-based products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/protein-products.html) by brand name.
Related Information
The Truth About Silver Protein Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/protein.html)
The Truth About Colloid Particle Size (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutParticlSize.html)
<LI>True Colloidal Silver True colloidal silver products are the least prevalent type of colloidal silver on the market due to high degree of manufacturing complexity and the resulting high cost of production.
In true colloidal silver, the majority of the silver content is in the form of silver particles. True colloids will typically contain more than 50% particles (often 50 – 80%), while the balance (20% to 49%) will be silver ions. When referring to colloidal silver, the word colloid means silver particles.
The two critical factors to look for in determining true colloids are the percentage of silver particles and the surface particle area.
Of all the types of silver marketed as colloidal, true colloidal silver products have the highest particle surface area (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area). High particle surface area is achieved by a high percentage of silver particles combined with very small sized particles. Of the three types of silver on the market, true silver colloids have the highest particle surface area relative to the total silver content. The ratio of particle surface area to total silver content indicates how efficiently the colloid is able to produce particle surface area which determines effectiveness. Higher conversion efficiencies are more desirable.
The nanometer-sized particles in true silver colloids remain in colloidal suspension without requiring protein or other additives. It is the mutual repulsion of the particles created by the zeta potential charge that keeps the particles uniformly distributed in the colloid.
Determining True Silver Colloids
Because of the high concentration of silver particles, true silver colloids are never clear like water. True colloidal silver with a sufficient concentration of particles does not look like water because silver particles -- even very small particles -- block light from passing through, making the liquid appear darker.
Dangers
Due to the very low concentration of ionic silver and small particle size, true silver colloids do not cause argyria (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#argyria), a condition that causes the skin to turn blue-gray.
List of True Colloidal Silver Products
Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/truecolloids-products.html) for a partial list of true silver colloid products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/truecolloids-products.html) by brand name.
<HR width="100%">Comparing Colloidal Silver Products
Below you will find two tables comparing colloidal silver products. A couple of notes before you begin:
The particle size distribution and zeta potential reports are in pdf format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html) to view. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader plug-in installed in your browser, you can download it free from the Adobe web site. Click on the Acrobat Icon below to obtain the Acrobat Reader free (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html).
In the tables below, a click on the product name will bring up the complete lab analysis for the products shown. The top part of the lab analysis page indicates the properties of the product according to the manufacturer. The bottom of the page contains the results of applying a standard suite of tests to determine the physical properties of the colloids. Not all tests can be performed on all the products. Specifically, the protein based products cannot be tested for zeta potential. See Determining Properties (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/labMeasurements.htm) for technical details about how the laboratory analysis is performed.
The tables below compare two critical metrics. Column 2 of first table compares particle surface area, which is the most important measure of effectiveness. The table is organized in ascending values of particle surface area. The second table evaluates metal content.
The second table is arranged in ascending order of percent of labeled value by product grouping. Eventually, we hope to test all products that either claim to be colloidal silver or are colloidal silver.
<HR>particle surface area ("][/url]Comparison Table: Particle Surface Area
The effectiveness of a colloid is predicated on [url="http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area), therefore particle surface area is the single most important metric for comparing colloidal products. The Comparison Table below provides a detailed comparative analysis of products based on the particle surface area.
In the booklet "Silver Colloids" Professor Ronald Gibbs wrote "The size of the particles in the colloidal silver suspensions we use for health purposes is very important. Particle size controls the surface area and therefore the effectiveness of the colloidal silver suspension."
In this context, effectiveness is defined as the ability of the colloid to interact with its environment , just as in the world of chemistry, where surface area determines how well substances react with one another. For a more complete discussion of the rationale for comparing colloidal silver products using particle surface areaas a single valued metric see: Comparing Colloidal Silver Products (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/Howtocompare.html).
Notes: <TABLE height=50 width=543 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD width=533 height=44>Effectiveness of a colloid is determined by the particle surface area making it the single most important metric for comparing colloids.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
This table is presented in ascending order of particle surface area (column 2) to provide an easy means for direct comparison amoung the various properties associated with particle surface area. Data from the product reports is compiled into a table so the reader can compare products based on costs and particle surface area.
Product Name: These are the colloidal silver products listed in the Product Reports. Click on the product name in the table below for the complete lab analysis.
Particle Surface Area: In the table below, Column 2 (Particle Surface Area) provides the best means for a direct comparison of the various products. Column 2 (cm 2/mL) is particle surface area in square cm per mL from the Product Report.
Efficiency Index: Column 3 Effective surface area per unit of concentration. Particle Surface Area (cm<SUP>2</SUP>/mL) per ppm X 1000. This value relates how efficiently surface area is generated per unit of concentration (ppm).
Comparing Cost: Column 5 (Cents/cm<SUP>2</SUP>) is the Price in Cents per square cm of particle surface area.
Column 7 (cm<SUP>2</SUP>/$) is square cm of particle surface areaper dollar of cost.
Comparing Quantity: Column 6 (Normalized mL) shows the quantity of the colloid in mL required to provide a constant particle surface area. The values are normalized.
<TABLE id=reportTable1 cellSpacing=1 cols=7 cellPadding=3 width=771 border=1><TBODY><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD width=228>Product Name
Click product name for full report
</TD><TD width=94><CENTER class=style3>Particle Surface Area
cm<SUP>2</SUP>/mL </CENTER></TD><TD width=76><CENTER class=style3>Efficiency
Index </CENTER></TD><TD width=89><CENTER class=style3>Price
Cents/mL </CENTER></TD><TD width=85><CENTER>Price
Cents/cm<SUP>2</SUP> </CENTER></TD><TD width=87><CENTER class=style3>Normalized mL </CENTER></TD><TD width=66><CENTER class=style3>cm<SUP>2</SUP>/$ </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Health & Herbs Col. Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr14/cpr_14.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.001
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>5.9
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>4.22
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4216
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>104,700
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.024
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Trace Minerals Col. Silver 30 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr18/cpr_18.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.022
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.7
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>7.08
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>321.7
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4,759
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.31
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Bio-Alternatives Col. Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr21/cpr_21.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.050
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>7.4
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>4.22
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>84.5
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>2,094
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>1.18
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Tri Silver Colloidal Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr15/cpr_15.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.052
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>5.5
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>5.49
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>105.6
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>2013
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.95
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Silver Lightning 5 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr01/cpr_01.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>0.078 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>17 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1.05 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>13.44 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1342 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style2>7.44 </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>Daily Mfg. Col. Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr27/cpr_27.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.080
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.8
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>10.10
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>126.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>1309
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.79
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>Silver Wain Water 3 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr23/cpr_23.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.083
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>34.2
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>2.64
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>31.8
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>1,261
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.14
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Wonder Water 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr02/cpr_02.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class="style2 style11">0.096 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>9.6 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>4.67 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>48.60 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1090 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>2.06 </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>ASAP 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr05/cpr_05.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.112
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>10.2
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>10.99
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>98.11
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>935
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>1.02
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Sovereign Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr03/cpr_03.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.217
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>22.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>25.36
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>116.9
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>482.5
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.86
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver 35 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr16/cpr_16.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.225
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>13.6
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>7.80
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>34.68
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>465.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>2.88
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Utopia Silver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr11/cpr_11.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>0.258 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>26.2 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>6.34 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>24.57 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>405.8 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>4.07 </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 width=228 height=15>Vitol Super Col. Silver 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr33/cpr_33.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.286
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>54.6
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>13.39
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>46.82
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>366
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>2.14
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>High Energy Lab Col. Sil. 15 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr32/cpr_32.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.319
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>15.1
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>4.22
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>13.22
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>328
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>7.56
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>ASAP 22 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr06/cpr_06.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.587
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>26.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>15.22
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>25.92
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>178.4
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.85
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Int. Pharm. Invive 50 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr28/cpr_28.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.621
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>4.4
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>7.61
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>12.25
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>168.6
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>8.16
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Electra Clear Col. Sil. 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr34/cpr_34.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.662
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>25.1
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>3.16
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4.77
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>158.2
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>20.9
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Source Naturals Col. Silver 30 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr17/cpr_17.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.881
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>24.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>13.94
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>15.83
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>118.8
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>6.32
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Kelly Colloidal Silver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr24/cpr_24.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>1.420
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>122
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>6.34
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4.46
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>73.7
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>22.4
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>Herbal Healer Col. Sil. 500 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr29/cpr_29.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>2.513
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.80
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>30.43
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>12.11
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>41.66
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>8.25
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Advanced Colloidal Silver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr12/cpr_12.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>12.20
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>924
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>12.24
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>1.003
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>8.58
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>99.7
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Innovative Natural Prod. 500 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr13/cpr_13.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>12.39
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>20.5
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>33.77
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>2.725
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>8.45
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>36.7
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Mesosilver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr09/cpr_09.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>104.7 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>5235 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>11.97 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>0.1143 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1.0 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>874.7 </CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Higher values are better. Lower values are better.
Notes:
Col. 1 Product Name and concentration in parts-per-million (ppm) on label.
Col. 2 Particle surface area= value from lab report.
Col. 3 Efficiency Index = Divide column 2 by total ppm value from the lab report and multiply by 1000.
Col. 4 Price Cents/mL = Divide product price ($/oz) by 29.5734 and multiply by 100.
Col. 5 Price Cents/cm<SUP>2 </SUP>= Divide 1 by column 2 and multiply by column 4.
Col. 6 mL of product required for a constant particle surface area.
Normalized value is calculated by dividing the largest column 2 value (104.7) by column 2.
Col. 7 cm<SUP>2</SUP>/$ = Divide 1 by column 5 and multiply by 100. <HR width="100%">Percent of Metal Content Table
In the table below, the Metal Content indicates the accuracy of product labeling. A value of 100 percent means the label accurately describes the metal content of the product. Values near zero indicate that the product contains very little or none of the metal content indicated on the label.
Values that are significantly above or below 100 (highlighted in red) indicate the manufacturers inability to adequately control the concentration (ppm) of the product. This could be the result of poor quality control or the lack of capability to measure concentration.
<TABLE id=reportTable cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=760 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#e1e1e1><TD bgColor=#e1e1e1>Type
</TD><TD>Metal Content
</TD><TD bgColor=#e1e1e1>Product Name
</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#e1e1e1><TD> </TD><TD>Percent of Labeled Value
</TD><TD bgColor=#e1e1e1>Click on product name for lab report
</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 0.03 <<<
</TD><TD>WEE - Detoxing Mineral Water 1000 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr20/cpr_20.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 0.09 <<<
</TD><TD>Nano Silver 2000 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr25/cpr_25.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 0.52 <<<
</TD><TD>Earthborn Products - Colloidal Silver 100 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr19/cpr_19.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 1.7 <<<
</TD><TD>Health & Herbs Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr14/cpr_14.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>47.1
</TD><TD>Golden Touch Mfg. Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver 35 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr16/cpr_16.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>49.1
</TD><TD>Utopia Colloidal Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr11/cpr_11.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>67.8
</TD><TD>Bio-Alternatives Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr21/cpr_21.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>81.0
</TD><TD>Survival Enterprises Silver Water 3 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr22/cpr_22.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>81.0
</TD><TD>Silver Water Products - Silver Wain Water 3 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr23/cpr_23.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD width=78>Ionic
</TD><TD width=258>91.2
</TD><TD width=628>Silver Lightning Tonic Water 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr01/cpr_01.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>95.4
</TD><TD>Tri Silver Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr15/cpr_15.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>97.1
</TD><TD>Sovereign Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr03/cpr_03.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>99.5
</TD><TD>"Wonder Water" Silver Fortified Water 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr02/cpr_02.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>101.4
</TD><TD>ASAP Solution 22 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr06/cpr_06.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>106.0
</TD><TD>Daily Mfg., Inc 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr27/cpr_27.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>106.0
</TD><TD>Trace Minerals - Liqumins Colloidal Silver 30 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr18/cpr_18.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>110.2
</TD><TD>ASAP Solution 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr05/cpr_05.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>133
</TD><TD>TriMedica Silva Solution 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr30/cpr_30.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>140
</TD><TD>High Energy Labs Colloidal Silver 15 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr32/cpr_32.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>264
</TD><TD>InSpiral Technologies Electra Clear Colloidal Silver 5-10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr34/cpr_34.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>96.0
</TD><TD>Futurebiotics Advanced Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr07/cpr_07.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>120.6
</TD><TD>Innovative Nature Products 500 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr13/cpr_13.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>132
</TD><TD>Herbal Healer Academy 500 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr29/cpr_29.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>280
</TD><TD>International Pharmaceuticals - Invive 50 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr28/cpr_28.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>58.0
</TD><TD class=style10>Kelly Colloidal Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr24/cpr_24.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>66.0
</TD><TD>Utopia Advanced Colloidal Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr12/cpr_12.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>83.0
</TD><TD>Colloidal Gold 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr04/cpr_04.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>100.0
</TD><TD>Mesosilver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr09/cpr_09.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>104.8
</TD><TD>Vitol Super Colloidal Silver 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr33/cpr_33.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>105.5
</TD><TD>Mesogold 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr10/cpr_10.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>121.0
</TD><TD>Source Naturals - Wellness Colloidal Silver 30 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr17/cpr_17.html)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Percentages shown in red are less than 75% or greater than 150% of the labeled silver content.
>>> These products contain little or no silver (less than 2% of labeled value). <<<
Why are so many products shown in red?
It seems clear that some companies are not properly measuring the silver concentration in their products. There is a common misconception that silver concentration can be determined by measuring the electrical conductivity. This erroneous belief is fostered by the companies that sell "colloidal silver" generators to the home hobbyists and also sell TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meters that they claim can be calibrated to measure ionic silver content. TDS meters measure the electrical conductivity of the solution, not silver content. Any substance that increases the electrical conductivity will cause the TDS meter reading to increase. This may or may not have anything to do with the ionic silver concentration. The products shown above that contain little or no silver all have electrical conductivity values that indicate the presence of water soluble salts that would increase the TDS reading without silver being present. We speculate that these companies are relying on such measurements in an attempt to determine the silver content. Electrical conductivity cannot be used to determine silver concentration.
Accurate determination of silver concentration requires the use of either an atomic absorption/emission spectrometer or a mass spectrometer. Most laboratories use either atomic absorption or atomic emission spectrometers because they are less expensive than a mass spectrometer (ICP/MS). The measured values reported on this web site were made using an atomic emission spectrometer, specifically an Inductively Coupled Plasma/Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP/AES). See Determining Properties (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/labMeasurements.htm) for technical details about how the laboratory analysis is performed by CSL.
When an FDA laboratory determines metal concentration they use either and ICP/AES or an ICP/MS whose readings will match very closely those indicated above.
<HR width="100%">
Notification of Results
Each manufacturer whose product appears in the tables and reports on this web site has been notified by e-mail and provided with a link to the detailed laboratory analysis of their product. At time of notification the producer may dispute the findings of our laboratory with regard to the determination of the measured values. The lab personnel are more than willing to discuss the results of our analysis should any company whose products are reported here choose to take issue with our laboratory procedures, suitability of equipment used, calibration standards, or experience of the laboratory staff. Not a single lab analysis has been disputed as of this date.
Not a single lab analysis has been disputed as of this date, and manufacturers cannot claim ignorance about the contents of the products they are selling.
Recourse for Consumers
Some of the products tested contain such a small fraction of the labeled value (see Metal Content chart above) that those products would generally be considered to have misleading and/or deceptive labeling by the Consumer Protection Department of various state governments. The sale of these mislabeled products is clearly a violation of the state consumer protection laws as well as a violation of the Federal Trade Commission regulations. If you have purchased one of these products, you might want to consider filing a complaint with the consumer protection department of the state where the manufacturer is located. You also might want to consider sending an e-mail to the producer and ask them why they continue to sell a product whose label misrepresents the contents of the bottle.
Donate a product for testing - Products donated by the consuming public for lab analysis and inclusion in our reports must be in a new factory sealed bottle to avoid the possibility of contamination. The scientists at the Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc. will perform a uniform set of analytical measurements and report the results in the standard format as shown on the report pages listed below. The lab analysis is done on a time available basis by laboratory personnel. Products submitted for analysis will not be returned. Products for analysis can be submitted to this address. (http://www.silver-colloids.com/contact.html)
Related Information
How to Compare Colloidal Silver Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/Howtocompare.html)
The Truth About Ionic Silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutIonic.html)
The Truth About TEM Images of Ionic Silver Solutions (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/TEM.html)
The Truth About Silver Protein Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/protein.html)
The Truth About Colloid Particle Size (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutParticlSize.html)
Bogus Scientific Claims Made for Colloidal Silver Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/bogus-silver.html)
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Skip to the Lab Analysis Summary (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#CompTable)
There are three distinctly different types of silver that are labeled and sold on the market as “colloidal silver”; they are ionic silver, silver protein, and true colloidal silver. Consumers seeking true colloidal silver are often at a disadvantage because each of these products represents themselves as colloidal silver. Commercial Product Reports provide detailed laboratory analysis of colloidal products. Tests are performed by the Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc.(CSL) (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/) using a uniform set of analytical measurements. The information contained in these reports is provided as a service to educate consumers, and is not intended to promote any particular product. CSL does not receive funding for its work from manufacturers, and anyone can submit a product for testing.
Scientific product testing performed by CSL is an unbiased examination of the physical properties of colloids using the best scientific methods and equipment available. The equipment used to perform the analyses is calibrated to standards traceable to the National Institute of Standards & Technology, and the personnel performing the measurements are skilled in the use of the equipment.
The instruments used to perform the tests are described in detail and the test methods are fully revealed so that the entire suite of product tests can be duplicated by others. See Determining Properties (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/labMeasurements.htm) for technical details about how the laboratory analysis is performed. Detailed lab analysis for the products shown in the table is available by clicking on the product name in the table.
Before exploring the reports, charts, graphs, and details of the tests, it is important to have a basic understanding of the three types of products that are marketed as Colloidal Silver.
Types of Colloidal Silver
The three types of products that consumers find labeled as “colloidal silver” can be categorized as follows: ionic silver solutions (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#ionic) , silver protein (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#protein), and true colloidal silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#true).
Ionic Silver Solutions
The vast majority of products labeled and sold as colloidal silver fall into this category. The silver content in these products consists of both silver ions (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#silver.ion) and silver particles (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#silver.particles), neither of which are silver colloids. Typically 90% of the silver content is in the form of ionic silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#ionic.silver), due to the low degree of manufacturing complexity and resulting low cost of production. The silver ions are produced by electrolysis and may be described as “dissolved silver”. Products are produced by electrolysis and are frequently described as "electro colloids". The remaining 10% of the solution is silver particles. Because the majority of the silver content in these products is dissolved silver rather than metallic silver particles, it would be more technically accurate to describe these products as silver solutions.
Confusingly, ads for these products frequently claim that silver ions are small silver particles or describe the product as consisting of ionic silver particles. Silver ions are not the same as silver particles and the two terms are not interchangeable. For more details read About Ionic Silver (http://silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutIonic.html).
How To Tell If A Product Is Mostly Ionic Silver
Silver solutions are typically clear like water or have a slight yellow tint. These products are clear because silver that is dissolved in water looks just like sugar or salt that is dissolved in water; it has no visible appearance. The producers of ionic silver solutions will suggest that colloidal silver should look like clear water, but this is incorrect.
Companies that sell ionic silver claim that their product is "true colloidal silver" in an attempt to confuse the buyer. Do not be fooled. If the product is clear, then it is ionic silver, not a true silver colloid. Colloidal particles absorb visible light causing them to have an "apparent color" which is the complement of the absorbed wavelength. Silver ions do not absorb visible light and therefore appear as clear liquids.
Many producers of ionic silver recommend that the product be stored only in glass containers. Some specify only amber or cobalt glass bottles because their products are photosensitive and deteriorate when exposed to light. True colloids do not have these issues.
How To Test for Ionic Silver
To figure out whether a solution is ionic silver, you only need add chloride ions. Common table salt, which is sodium chloride, will do. If silver ions are present, the chloride ions will combine with the silver ions and create a white, cloudy appearance. Simply place 1-2 ounces of ionic silver in a clear glass. Add a few grains of table salt. Observe whether, as the salt dissolves, a white cloud of silver chloride forms in the solution. If so, eventually, the entire solution will turn cloudy. If more salt is added, the white silver chloride will become denser until all the silver ions have combined with the available chlorine ions. If no silver ions are present then no white cloud will form. Here’s the rub: Some products will not make a white cloud of silver chloride when table salt is added because they contain no silver at all. Believe it or not, lab analysis has shown that some "silver" products actually contain no silver!
<TABLE height=55 width=661 align=center border=1><TBODY><TR><TD width=651>The difference between silver ions and silver particles boils down to the fact that silver ions combine with chloride ions to form silver chloride and silver particles do not.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Safe usage
“Colloidal silver” generators sold to home hobbyists all produce ionic silver solutions. Because ionic silver products contain a low percentage of their silver content, they all have a fairly low particle surface area (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area) relative to the total silver content. Thus, ionic silver products, when taken according to the manufacturers recommended dosage, will not cause argyria (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#argyria), a condition that causes the skin to turn blue-gray."
Techno-Babble, Misleading Language and Bogus Science
The term colloidal means particles not ions, but producers of ionic silver products will try to convince the buyer that their product is a silver colloid. The common thread in most advertisements selling ionic silver products (labeled as colloidal silver) is to claim that ions are silver particles, or they try to blur the distinction by using the terms interchangeably. Another common trick is to display images made from a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) that they claim shows the small particles found in their products. These images do not show the silver particles in their products. Read About TEM Images of Ionic Silver Solutions (http://silver-colloids.com/Pubs/TEM.html) to learn why these images are deceptive and misleading. Another ploy is the use of techno-babble, wherein make-believe technical sounding terms are used to impress the non-technical reader. Techno-babble attempts to draw the reader’s attention away from the real science and focus on nonsensical but important sounding terms and ideas. In a related approach, advertising or labels will include scientific-sounding explanations that use terms from other fields of science that are not applicable to the chemistry of solutions and colloids. For example, in the field of nuclear science, a particle is considered to be any atomic object whose weight is greater or equal to the weight of an electron. Attempting to define a silver ion as a particle by using this definition is the essence of what is commonly referred to as bogus science. For examples of techno-babble and bogus science, click here (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/bogus-silver.html).
List of Ionic Silver Products
Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/ionic-products.html) for a partial list of ionic silver products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/ionic-products.html) by brand name.
Related Information
The Truth About Ionic Silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutIonic.html)
The Truth About TEM Images of Ionic Silver Solutions (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/TEM.html)
Silver Protein (a/k/a Mild Silver Protein)
Silver protein products are the second most prevalent type of so-called colloidal silver products on the market. These products consist of a combination of metallic silver particles and a protein binder, and can easily be produced by simply adding water to silver protein powder sold by various chemical companies.
Most products claiming to be high concentrations of colloidal silver (typically in the range of 30 to 20,000 ppm) are in fact silver protein colloids. While some of these products are labeled as Silver Protein or Mild Silver Protein , many such products are simply labeled as colloidal silver and the word protein does not appear anywhere on the label or in the product advertising literature.
Silver protein products generally have very large silver particles, so large that they would not remain suspended as colloidal particles without protein additives. Protein additives help to keep the large particles from settling. While various protein binders may be used, the protein most commonly used is gelatin , which is made by boiling the skin, tendons, and ligaments of animals. For large metallic silver particles to remain suspended in water, they need additional buoyancy to keep from sinking. Gelatin molecules will encapsulate each particle of silver and add enough buoyancy so that it does not sink to the bottom. The presence of gelatin creates a risk of bacteria and is one of the dangers of taking this product.
Of the three types of colloidal silver, silver protein products have the lowest particle surface area for a given silver concentration , making the silver inaccessible for safe human absorption and less effective for human use. Particle surface area (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area), as we will cover later, is the single most important determinant of colloidal silver effectiveness. Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/SEM-Images.html) for scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of silver protein products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/SEM-Images.html) that clearly show the very large size of the silver particles (which appear to range in size from about 100 nm up to 10,000 nm with some much larger).
Testing For Silver Protein
To find out whether you have a silver protein product rather than a true silver colloid, look for these characteristics:
Makes foam: When shaken, a silver protein product produces foam above the liquid that will persist for minutes after being shaken. This is probably the single most reliable indicator. Even when the product label identifies the product simply as colloidal silver and never mentions the word protein, this indicator will signal the presence of a protein binder. Shake the bottle and look for foaming. When the foam persists, protein is present.
Concentration: Silver protein products tend to have very high concentration values, typically in the range of 30 to 20,000 ppm. Concentration is expressed in parts per million (ppm) and is numerically the same as milligrams of silver per liter of water (mg/L).
Color: The color ranges from light amber to almost black with an increasing concentration of silver.
Dangers
Due to the high concentration of large silver particles, silver protein products are known to cause argyria (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#argyria), a condition that causes the skin to turn blue-gray. These and other dangers associated with silver protein are described in About Silver Protein Products. (http://silver-colloids.com/Pubs/protein.html)
Adding protein to colloidal silver is also potentially unsafe because of bacteria, according to Professor Ronald Gibbs who discussed this fact in his booklet " Silver Colloids (http://silver-colloids.com/index.html)". He found "mild silver protein" products that had live bacteria growing on the protein. This can happen when protein is mixed with colloidal silver because the protein molecules are large and encapsulate the silver particles, which prevent the silver from reaching the bacteria to kill it. Normally, it would be impossible for bacteria to live in colloidal silver, but it is common in products containing protein. For this reason, Professor Gibbs recommended that silver protein products should be avoided. Here is the quote from Professor Gibbs book concerning use of protein to stabilize colloidal silver: "A fifth sample considered showed fuzzy clusters around silver particles when viewed in water . . . . As suspected, this fuzzy material fluoresced indicating the material was, indeed, live bacteria growing on the gelatin that had apparently been used to stabilize the colloidal silver suspension. In Figure 3A the black dots inside the fuzzy mass are the silver particles. This sample exhibits the poor quality control that is totally unacceptable in this type of product. This sample was removed from further consideration and analysis .” Professor Gibbs’ book "Silver Colloids, Do They Work?" can be downloaded here (http://silver-colloids.com/Book/SilverColloids-s.pdf).
List of Silver Protein-Based Products
Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/protein-products.html) for a partial list of silver protein-based products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/protein-products.html) by brand name.
Related Information
The Truth About Silver Protein Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/protein.html)
The Truth About Colloid Particle Size (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutParticlSize.html)
<LI>True Colloidal Silver True colloidal silver products are the least prevalent type of colloidal silver on the market due to high degree of manufacturing complexity and the resulting high cost of production.
In true colloidal silver, the majority of the silver content is in the form of silver particles. True colloids will typically contain more than 50% particles (often 50 – 80%), while the balance (20% to 49%) will be silver ions. When referring to colloidal silver, the word colloid means silver particles.
The two critical factors to look for in determining true colloids are the percentage of silver particles and the surface particle area.
Of all the types of silver marketed as colloidal, true colloidal silver products have the highest particle surface area (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area). High particle surface area is achieved by a high percentage of silver particles combined with very small sized particles. Of the three types of silver on the market, true silver colloids have the highest particle surface area relative to the total silver content. The ratio of particle surface area to total silver content indicates how efficiently the colloid is able to produce particle surface area which determines effectiveness. Higher conversion efficiencies are more desirable.
The nanometer-sized particles in true silver colloids remain in colloidal suspension without requiring protein or other additives. It is the mutual repulsion of the particles created by the zeta potential charge that keeps the particles uniformly distributed in the colloid.
Determining True Silver Colloids
Because of the high concentration of silver particles, true silver colloids are never clear like water. True colloidal silver with a sufficient concentration of particles does not look like water because silver particles -- even very small particles -- block light from passing through, making the liquid appear darker.
Dangers
Due to the very low concentration of ionic silver and small particle size, true silver colloids do not cause argyria (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#argyria), a condition that causes the skin to turn blue-gray.
List of True Colloidal Silver Products
Click here (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/truecolloids-products.html) for a partial list of true silver colloid products (http://silver-colloids.com/Reports/truecolloids-products.html) by brand name.
<HR width="100%">Comparing Colloidal Silver Products
Below you will find two tables comparing colloidal silver products. A couple of notes before you begin:
The particle size distribution and zeta potential reports are in pdf format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html) to view. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader plug-in installed in your browser, you can download it free from the Adobe web site. Click on the Acrobat Icon below to obtain the Acrobat Reader free (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html).
In the tables below, a click on the product name will bring up the complete lab analysis for the products shown. The top part of the lab analysis page indicates the properties of the product according to the manufacturer. The bottom of the page contains the results of applying a standard suite of tests to determine the physical properties of the colloids. Not all tests can be performed on all the products. Specifically, the protein based products cannot be tested for zeta potential. See Determining Properties (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/labMeasurements.htm) for technical details about how the laboratory analysis is performed.
The tables below compare two critical metrics. Column 2 of first table compares particle surface area, which is the most important measure of effectiveness. The table is organized in ascending values of particle surface area. The second table evaluates metal content.
The second table is arranged in ascending order of percent of labeled value by product grouping. Eventually, we hope to test all products that either claim to be colloidal silver or are colloidal silver.
<HR>particle surface area ("][/url]Comparison Table: Particle Surface Area
The effectiveness of a colloid is predicated on [url="http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/definitions.html#particle.surface.area), therefore particle surface area is the single most important metric for comparing colloidal products. The Comparison Table below provides a detailed comparative analysis of products based on the particle surface area.
In the booklet "Silver Colloids" Professor Ronald Gibbs wrote "The size of the particles in the colloidal silver suspensions we use for health purposes is very important. Particle size controls the surface area and therefore the effectiveness of the colloidal silver suspension."
In this context, effectiveness is defined as the ability of the colloid to interact with its environment , just as in the world of chemistry, where surface area determines how well substances react with one another. For a more complete discussion of the rationale for comparing colloidal silver products using particle surface areaas a single valued metric see: Comparing Colloidal Silver Products (http://silver-colloids.com/Papers/Howtocompare.html).
Notes: <TABLE height=50 width=543 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD width=533 height=44>Effectiveness of a colloid is determined by the particle surface area making it the single most important metric for comparing colloids.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
This table is presented in ascending order of particle surface area (column 2) to provide an easy means for direct comparison amoung the various properties associated with particle surface area. Data from the product reports is compiled into a table so the reader can compare products based on costs and particle surface area.
Product Name: These are the colloidal silver products listed in the Product Reports. Click on the product name in the table below for the complete lab analysis.
Particle Surface Area: In the table below, Column 2 (Particle Surface Area) provides the best means for a direct comparison of the various products. Column 2 (cm 2/mL) is particle surface area in square cm per mL from the Product Report.
Efficiency Index: Column 3 Effective surface area per unit of concentration. Particle Surface Area (cm<SUP>2</SUP>/mL) per ppm X 1000. This value relates how efficiently surface area is generated per unit of concentration (ppm).
Comparing Cost: Column 5 (Cents/cm<SUP>2</SUP>) is the Price in Cents per square cm of particle surface area.
Column 7 (cm<SUP>2</SUP>/$) is square cm of particle surface areaper dollar of cost.
Comparing Quantity: Column 6 (Normalized mL) shows the quantity of the colloid in mL required to provide a constant particle surface area. The values are normalized.
<TABLE id=reportTable1 cellSpacing=1 cols=7 cellPadding=3 width=771 border=1><TBODY><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD width=228>Product Name
Click product name for full report
</TD><TD width=94><CENTER class=style3>Particle Surface Area
cm<SUP>2</SUP>/mL </CENTER></TD><TD width=76><CENTER class=style3>Efficiency
Index </CENTER></TD><TD width=89><CENTER class=style3>Price
Cents/mL </CENTER></TD><TD width=85><CENTER>Price
Cents/cm<SUP>2</SUP> </CENTER></TD><TD width=87><CENTER class=style3>Normalized mL </CENTER></TD><TD width=66><CENTER class=style3>cm<SUP>2</SUP>/$ </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Health & Herbs Col. Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr14/cpr_14.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.001
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>5.9
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>4.22
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4216
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>104,700
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.024
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Trace Minerals Col. Silver 30 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr18/cpr_18.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.022
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.7
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>7.08
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>321.7
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4,759
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.31
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Bio-Alternatives Col. Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr21/cpr_21.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.050
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>7.4
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>4.22
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>84.5
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>2,094
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>1.18
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Tri Silver Colloidal Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr15/cpr_15.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.052
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>5.5
</TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>5.49
</TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>105.6
</TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>2013
</TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.95
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Silver Lightning 5 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr01/cpr_01.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>0.078 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>17 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1.05 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>13.44 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1342 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style11 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style2>7.44 </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>Daily Mfg. Col. Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr27/cpr_27.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.080
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.8
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>10.10
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>126.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>1309
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.79
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>Silver Wain Water 3 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr23/cpr_23.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.083
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>34.2
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>2.64
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>31.8
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>1,261
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.14
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Wonder Water 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr02/cpr_02.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class="style2 style11">0.096 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>9.6 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>4.67 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>48.60 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1090 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>2.06 </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>ASAP 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr05/cpr_05.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.112
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>10.2
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>10.99
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>98.11
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>935
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>1.02
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Sovereign Silver 10 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr03/cpr_03.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.217
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>22.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>25.36
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>116.9
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>482.5
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.86
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver 35 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr16/cpr_16.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.225
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>13.6
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>7.80
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>34.68
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>465.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>2.88
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Utopia Silver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr11/cpr_11.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>0.258 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>26.2 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>6.34 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>24.57 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>405.8 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>4.07 </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 width=228 height=15>Vitol Super Col. Silver 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr33/cpr_33.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.286
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>54.6
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>13.39
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>46.82
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>366
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>2.14
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>High Energy Lab Col. Sil. 15 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr32/cpr_32.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.319
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>15.1
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>4.22
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>13.22
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>328
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>7.56
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>ASAP 22 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr06/cpr_06.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.587
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>26.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>15.22
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>25.92
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>178.4
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.85
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Int. Pharm. Invive 50 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr28/cpr_28.html) </TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.621
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>4.4
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>7.61
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>12.25
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>168.6
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>8.16
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Electra Clear Col. Sil. 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr34/cpr_34.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.662
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>25.1
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>3.16
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4.77
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>158.2
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>20.9
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Source Naturals Col. Silver 30 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr17/cpr_17.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>0.881
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>24.3
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>13.94
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>15.83
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>118.8
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>6.32
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Kelly Colloidal Silver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr24/cpr_24.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>1.420
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>122
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>6.34
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>4.46
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>73.7
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>22.4
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=style11 height=15>Herbal Healer Col. Sil. 500 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr29/cpr_29.html)</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>2.513
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>3.80
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>30.43
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>12.11
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>41.66
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>8.25
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Advanced Colloidal Silver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr12/cpr_12.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>12.20
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>924
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>12.24
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>1.003
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>8.58
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>99.7
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>Innovative Natural Prod. 500 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr13/cpr_13.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>12.39
</TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>20.5
</TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15>33.77
</TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>2.725
</TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15>8.45
</TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15>36.7
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=228 height=15>Mesosilver 20 (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr09/cpr_09.html)
</TD><TD class=style2 width=94 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>104.7 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=76 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>5235 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=89 bgColor=#ffffff height=15><CENTER class=style11>11.97 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=85 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>0.1143 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=87 bgColor=#ffccff height=15><CENTER class=style11>1.0 </CENTER></TD><TD class=style2 width=66 bgColor=#99ffcc height=15><CENTER class=style11>874.7 </CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Higher values are better. Lower values are better.
Notes:
Col. 1 Product Name and concentration in parts-per-million (ppm) on label.
Col. 2 Particle surface area= value from lab report.
Col. 3 Efficiency Index = Divide column 2 by total ppm value from the lab report and multiply by 1000.
Col. 4 Price Cents/mL = Divide product price ($/oz) by 29.5734 and multiply by 100.
Col. 5 Price Cents/cm<SUP>2 </SUP>= Divide 1 by column 2 and multiply by column 4.
Col. 6 mL of product required for a constant particle surface area.
Normalized value is calculated by dividing the largest column 2 value (104.7) by column 2.
Col. 7 cm<SUP>2</SUP>/$ = Divide 1 by column 5 and multiply by 100. <HR width="100%">Percent of Metal Content Table
In the table below, the Metal Content indicates the accuracy of product labeling. A value of 100 percent means the label accurately describes the metal content of the product. Values near zero indicate that the product contains very little or none of the metal content indicated on the label.
Values that are significantly above or below 100 (highlighted in red) indicate the manufacturers inability to adequately control the concentration (ppm) of the product. This could be the result of poor quality control or the lack of capability to measure concentration.
<TABLE id=reportTable cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=760 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#e1e1e1><TD bgColor=#e1e1e1>Type
</TD><TD>Metal Content
</TD><TD bgColor=#e1e1e1>Product Name
</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#e1e1e1><TD> </TD><TD>Percent of Labeled Value
</TD><TD bgColor=#e1e1e1>Click on product name for lab report
</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 0.03 <<<
</TD><TD>WEE - Detoxing Mineral Water 1000 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr20/cpr_20.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 0.09 <<<
</TD><TD>Nano Silver 2000 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr25/cpr_25.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 0.52 <<<
</TD><TD>Earthborn Products - Colloidal Silver 100 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr19/cpr_19.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>>>> 1.7 <<<
</TD><TD>Health & Herbs Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr14/cpr_14.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>47.1
</TD><TD>Golden Touch Mfg. Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver 35 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr16/cpr_16.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>49.1
</TD><TD>Utopia Colloidal Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr11/cpr_11.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>67.8
</TD><TD>Bio-Alternatives Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr21/cpr_21.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>81.0
</TD><TD>Survival Enterprises Silver Water 3 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr22/cpr_22.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>81.0
</TD><TD>Silver Water Products - Silver Wain Water 3 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr23/cpr_23.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD width=78>Ionic
</TD><TD width=258>91.2
</TD><TD width=628>Silver Lightning Tonic Water 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr01/cpr_01.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>95.4
</TD><TD>Tri Silver Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr15/cpr_15.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>97.1
</TD><TD>Sovereign Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr03/cpr_03.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>99.5
</TD><TD>"Wonder Water" Silver Fortified Water 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr02/cpr_02.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>101.4
</TD><TD>ASAP Solution 22 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr06/cpr_06.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>106.0
</TD><TD>Daily Mfg., Inc 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr27/cpr_27.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>106.0
</TD><TD>Trace Minerals - Liqumins Colloidal Silver 30 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr18/cpr_18.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>110.2
</TD><TD>ASAP Solution 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr05/cpr_05.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic
</TD><TD>133
</TD><TD>TriMedica Silva Solution 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr30/cpr_30.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>140
</TD><TD>High Energy Labs Colloidal Silver 15 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr32/cpr_32.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Ionic</TD><TD>264
</TD><TD>InSpiral Technologies Electra Clear Colloidal Silver 5-10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr34/cpr_34.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>96.0
</TD><TD>Futurebiotics Advanced Colloidal Silver 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr07/cpr_07.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>120.6
</TD><TD>Innovative Nature Products 500 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr13/cpr_13.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>132
</TD><TD>Herbal Healer Academy 500 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr29/cpr_29.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Protein
</TD><TD>280
</TD><TD>International Pharmaceuticals - Invive 50 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr28/cpr_28.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>58.0
</TD><TD class=style10>Kelly Colloidal Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr24/cpr_24.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>66.0
</TD><TD>Utopia Advanced Colloidal Silver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr12/cpr_12.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>83.0
</TD><TD>Colloidal Gold 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr04/cpr_04.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>100.0
</TD><TD>Mesosilver 20 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr09/cpr_09.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>104.8
</TD><TD>Vitol Super Colloidal Silver 5 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr33/cpr_33.html)</TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>105.5
</TD><TD>Mesogold 10 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr10/cpr_10.html) </TD></TR><TR class=style11><TD>Colloid</TD><TD>121.0
</TD><TD>Source Naturals - Wellness Colloidal Silver 30 ppm (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/cpr17/cpr_17.html)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Percentages shown in red are less than 75% or greater than 150% of the labeled silver content.
>>> These products contain little or no silver (less than 2% of labeled value). <<<
Why are so many products shown in red?
It seems clear that some companies are not properly measuring the silver concentration in their products. There is a common misconception that silver concentration can be determined by measuring the electrical conductivity. This erroneous belief is fostered by the companies that sell "colloidal silver" generators to the home hobbyists and also sell TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meters that they claim can be calibrated to measure ionic silver content. TDS meters measure the electrical conductivity of the solution, not silver content. Any substance that increases the electrical conductivity will cause the TDS meter reading to increase. This may or may not have anything to do with the ionic silver concentration. The products shown above that contain little or no silver all have electrical conductivity values that indicate the presence of water soluble salts that would increase the TDS reading without silver being present. We speculate that these companies are relying on such measurements in an attempt to determine the silver content. Electrical conductivity cannot be used to determine silver concentration.
Accurate determination of silver concentration requires the use of either an atomic absorption/emission spectrometer or a mass spectrometer. Most laboratories use either atomic absorption or atomic emission spectrometers because they are less expensive than a mass spectrometer (ICP/MS). The measured values reported on this web site were made using an atomic emission spectrometer, specifically an Inductively Coupled Plasma/Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP/AES). See Determining Properties (http://www.colloidalsciencelab.com/labMeasurements.htm) for technical details about how the laboratory analysis is performed by CSL.
When an FDA laboratory determines metal concentration they use either and ICP/AES or an ICP/MS whose readings will match very closely those indicated above.
<HR width="100%">
Notification of Results
Each manufacturer whose product appears in the tables and reports on this web site has been notified by e-mail and provided with a link to the detailed laboratory analysis of their product. At time of notification the producer may dispute the findings of our laboratory with regard to the determination of the measured values. The lab personnel are more than willing to discuss the results of our analysis should any company whose products are reported here choose to take issue with our laboratory procedures, suitability of equipment used, calibration standards, or experience of the laboratory staff. Not a single lab analysis has been disputed as of this date.
Not a single lab analysis has been disputed as of this date, and manufacturers cannot claim ignorance about the contents of the products they are selling.
Recourse for Consumers
Some of the products tested contain such a small fraction of the labeled value (see Metal Content chart above) that those products would generally be considered to have misleading and/or deceptive labeling by the Consumer Protection Department of various state governments. The sale of these mislabeled products is clearly a violation of the state consumer protection laws as well as a violation of the Federal Trade Commission regulations. If you have purchased one of these products, you might want to consider filing a complaint with the consumer protection department of the state where the manufacturer is located. You also might want to consider sending an e-mail to the producer and ask them why they continue to sell a product whose label misrepresents the contents of the bottle.
Donate a product for testing - Products donated by the consuming public for lab analysis and inclusion in our reports must be in a new factory sealed bottle to avoid the possibility of contamination. The scientists at the Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc. will perform a uniform set of analytical measurements and report the results in the standard format as shown on the report pages listed below. The lab analysis is done on a time available basis by laboratory personnel. Products submitted for analysis will not be returned. Products for analysis can be submitted to this address. (http://www.silver-colloids.com/contact.html)
Related Information
How to Compare Colloidal Silver Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Papers/Howtocompare.html)
The Truth About Ionic Silver (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutIonic.html)
The Truth About TEM Images of Ionic Silver Solutions (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/TEM.html)
The Truth About Silver Protein Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/protein.html)
The Truth About Colloid Particle Size (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/AboutParticlSize.html)
Bogus Scientific Claims Made for Colloidal Silver Products (http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/bogus-silver.html)
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